Winter's Proposal
by CNJ
Summary: The cold winter day when Jack proposed to Beverly... my take on how I think Beverly really reacted to the book Jack gave her. A one-chapter story.


Hi! Finally, thought up a fanfic piece from _Star Trek_: _the Next Generation_! As some of you may know, I have always been rather crazy about Beverly Crusher; she's my fave from that series. As the usual disclaimer goes, none of these characters are mine and the book title and proposal storyline is not entirely mine; it's aaaall belongs to Paramount and the producers, who are gracious enough to let the rest of us common writers merely borrow the characters. As some others wondered also, I too also imagined how Beverly reacted to Jack's unconventional marriage proposal, so I added my own edition to what I think really happened. Mine is a tad different from an earlier story on by another author based on that...

**Winter's Proposal**

_By_: CNJ

PG-13

I make it to the Blue Brass restaurant ten minutes early and grab a table close enough to the door, so Jack will see me easily when he arrives. We've been dating now for a year since I was twenty-two and he was twenty-five. It's December again and snow has fallen. It's very pretty; I admire it from the large bay window as I wait. People are already shopping in hordes, especially since it's Saturday and I can see the aircars and ships going in and out of the shopping area.

Jack said he had something to give me, a gift of sorts. I wonder if it is for Hanukkah, although Hanukkah is still more than three weeks away. This year, it falls two days before Christmas. I still need to buy Jack's gift, so his telling me this has me slightly rattled.

As I wait, I order lemon herb tea and read a book, sipping my tea slowly and thinking over this past year. I first briefly met Jack at the Academy when he retrieved a drop disk and handed it to a classmate, who passed it to me, but we didn't really talk then.

Then last year, my friend and former roommate, Claire Voy and I were ice skating at a nearby lake when Jack and I saw each other again. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place his name until Claire urged me to introduce myself and jar our memories. So, with Claire's push, I did. I am shy and nervous about meeting strangers, so I found myself stammering and blushing as I asked if I knew him.

Fortunately Jack, easygoing Jack, remembered seeing me, but didn't know my name and we introduced ourselves and got to talking. We eventually went back to skating with me returning to Claire. I guess the usually reserved me started dancing on the ice, feeling a bit more confident than I usually do and got a tad careless, because I ended up falling over and landing on my butt.

I almost fainted right there from embarrassment when a few people laughed and I could see Jack watching my humiliation also. I'd limped over to the edge of the lake and sat for a few minutes, both Claire and I rubbing my sore backside. We'd both begun our careers as doctors, so we knew that nothing was broken. I did nurse a slight backside bruise for a week, however. So that was the odd beginning of Jack and my relationship.

Since then, we have fallen more deeply in love. Jack is my first real boyfriend. He's met Nana, my grandmother and I've met his mum, Wendy, who I like a lot. I can't believe I have this boyfriend and that he's stayed around for this long. I've never had much self-confidence, even as a child. I don't know why. I guess it's because I have this red hair I don't like and I'm very shy. Don't ask me why; I don't know why I'm the way I am.

"Hello..." a voice says and it's Jack. His cheeks are flushed from the cold and his green eyes are bright in anticipation. "Hope I'm on time?"

"Oh..." I smile. "Yes, you are...hello, Jack."

He sits. He has a rather mysterious smile on his face, but doesn't tell me what it's all about and I don't ask him just yet because the wait person arrives and we order.

We talk about the Academy, what we're doing for the holidays. I am going to Nana's while Jack will be with his mother. We also discuss getting together for New Year's Eve.

Finally, Jack pulls out a small brown package. It's small and square and I wonder if that's the gift he's talking about. I watch curiously as he shoves it to me.

"Open it." Jack's grin becomes wider, his beautiful white teeth showing.

"Oh, Jack..." I breath, touched as I begin to pull the paper off, being careful with what's inside. I suspect it's a book, but I feign surprise and wonderment as I slowly take the paper off. Jack loves a good performance and I can see he enjoys watching the expression on my face. "You're sweet..." I add softly as I pull out, yes, a book.

"You haven't seen it, how will you know if you like it?" Jack asks with a laugh.

"I just know..." I say. "You always seem to know what's in people's hearts..." I lean over the table and give him a kiss on the nose. He kisses my large freckled nose back. I sit back and turn the book over to see what it is. _How to Advance Your Career Through Marriage_. I start to look through it, then the meaning of this gift dawns on me.

"Jack...?" I ask timidly, my thick eyebrows rising. "Is this...?" I'm almost afraid to hope. Jack nods.

"Beverly, will you consider it?" Jack asks, leaning forward.

"Oh, Jack, of course..." My eyes fill with tears as it sinks in that Jack is actually proposing marriage to me. "Oh, Jack, this is so sweet! Of course I'll marry you! Oh, I love you so much..."

Jack laughs as he grabs some napkins and hands them to me. I wipe my eyes, but it causes my tears to spill over. I put the book in my bag so I don't weep all over it and mess it up. Then I stand up, walk over to Jack's side and we hug for a long minute.

"Sirs?" A voice says. I turn and it's the waiter with our food.

"Oh...sure..." I stumble back to my seat and the waiter serves us, looking at us curiously.

"Are you all right, dear?" she asks, eyeing me.

"Yes...more than...I'm with my soon-to be husband..." I say, wiping my eyes once more. Jack laughs and I manage a shaky smile myself.

"Well, congratulations, both of you!" the waiter smiles at us. "Good luck."

As we eat, we begin to wonder if May would be enough time to prepare everything and try to figure out what kind of wedding we want and so on. Outside, a soft snow begins to fall again and another holiday song comes on the sound speaker, something about a miracle happening there. I feel as if some miracle is happening right here, one that is growing and I have a feeling will get more lovely as time passes.

_Storyline Copyright 2008_ By **CNJ**


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